It is generally known to provide an electrical connector plug and socket combination that can be plugged together and mechanically locked or latched to prevent an inadvertent disconnection or loosening thereof. For example, it is known to provide flexible arms having locking hooks on the ends thereof, on a housing of the connector plug, and to provide locking receivers or counter-recesses on the housing of the counter-plug or socket. When the plug and socket are plugged together, the locking hooks snap and engage into the locking receivers or counter-recesses. Thereby, the plug and socket are mechanically locked or securely held together.
Lockable electrical plug and socket connections of the above mentioned type are generally known, in principle, from the German Patent Publication DE 30 41 938 C2. Among other applications, such plug and socket connections are widely used in aircraft manufacturing technology.
In a modern conventional design of such an electrical plug and socket connection that is presently in use, the locking mechanism includes two locking hooks provided on opposite sides of the housing of the connector plug. Particularly, the locking hooks are provided and supported on flexible locking arms formed on the sides of the housing of the connector plug. These locking hooks are selectively unlockable or disengageable from the locking receivers of the socket by applying lateral finger pressure to the flexible locking arms, so as to deflect the flexible arms and thereby release the locking hooks from the locking receivers. Then, the plug and socket connection can be released and separated by pulling apart the plug and socket.
A comparable arrangement to that described above has also already become known from the U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,372 B1. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,991 A has already described and disclosed an electrical plug and socket connection, in which a spring-biased movable mechanism is provided with a positive constrained or enforced form-locking connection, which must again be released upon opening or separating the connection.
Furthermore, the U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,182 A has disclosed a lockable electrical plug and socket connection, in which flexible lever arms are provided on the locking arms for the purpose of producing an acoustic locking signal. Namely, when the locking arms become properly locked in place, the additional lever arms are to make a sound to indicate the proper locked connection.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,752 A has disclosed a lockable electrical plug and socket connection of the above described general type, in which springy or elastically deflectable lever arms are provided in addition to the locking hooks arranged at the ends of rigid locking arms. The lever arms are oriented opposite the locking hooks. The required locking force is applied via the lever arms. In order to release the locked condition achieved by the locking hooks, the spring force of the lever arms must be overcome.